Philips Software to be certified SEI - CMM level 4 in December

BANGALORE: Bangalore-based Philips Software Centre (PSC) will receive the

Level 4 certification of the SEI - CMM (Software Engineering Institute -

Capability Maturity Model) by Global Systems Technology Inc. in December.

According to company officials, the key process to achieve level 4 -

Quantitative Process Management - is already being adhered to by the company.

PSC is expecting to be certified level 5 by the end of next year. PSC chief

executive officer Dr. Bob Hoekstra said " In 1997 we were certified level

3, on December 17, 1999 we will be certified level 4. We now expect to receive

level 5 certification by the end of next year for which all processes are

already in place." The key processes for level 5 to be installed are Defect

Prevention and Technology and Process Change Management.

The company currently has three software development facilities in Bangalore.

PSC will fomally inaugurate the fifth facility in the city on October 26. PSC is

the global research for technology competency centre for Philips Netherlands.

PSC operates through four product divisions - Philips Consumer Electronics,

Philips Semiconductors, Philips Business Electronics and Philips Medical Systems

- each functioning as technology and software competence centres. The software

expertise common to most of the activities at PSC are in the areas of embedded

and information system engineering, architecture design, programming and

testing.

The current employee strength at PSC is 500 and by the end of this year it

would touch 560. The company is planning to increase the employee strength next

year to about 900 employees and in three years to about 1,500 employees. PSC is

expecting revenues of Rs 170 crore by the end of this year against Rs 90 crore

recorded last year.